Basket emptying device



R. H. STILLMAN El AL 2,018,929

BASKET EMPTYING DEVICE Oct. 29, 1935.

2 sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 14, 1952 I mvsmons Oct. 29, 1935. R. H. STILLMAN ET AL 2 BASKET EMPTYING DEVICE Filed Dec. 14, 1932 2 Shets-Sheet 2 7: 7 i n iii i i Z] iNVENTORS I Patented Oct. 29, 1935 UNITED STATES BASKET EMPTYING DEVICE Ray H. Stillman and Carl E. Anderson, Eatontown, N. J.

Application December 14, 1932, Serial No. 647,118

5 Claim.

This invention relates to basket-emptying devices, its object being to produce a simple portable device for transferring the contents of standard measuring baskets into bags.

Produce, such as fruits and vegetables, are usually displayed in stores and on road stands in standard measuring baskets, and it has heretofore been the practice, after a customer has made a selection, to empty the basket into a bag by hand. With a cumbersome basket, this is an inconvenient operation when performed by one person, since it is difficult to hold the bag in position while tilting the basket, because two hands are required for the latter task. Due to this difiiculty, more or less spillage is liable to occur, resulting in loss of time and damaged fruit or other produce contained in the basket.

To overcome this disadvantage, the present invention consists of a light funnel-shaped holder, the large end of which is expandible to pass over the rim of the basket and the small end of which is shaped to fit into the bag into which the basket is to be emptied. Thus, the bag may be placed in receiving position on the holder and the latter then placed over the basket on which it then forms a handle by which the basket can be conveniently lifted and tilted with only one hand, leaving the other hand free to manipulate the bag as it is being filled. For the purpose of quickly slipping this emptying device over the basket, the large end of the funnel is formed by an open ring with a handle at each end, these handles being so formed that they may be gripped separately for expanding the open ring and, after thus passing the same over the rim of the basket, may then be released and gripped together with one hand for tightening the ring upon the body of the basket and tilting the same, the handles, when in place on the basket, extending downwardly below the center of gravity of the basket.

In the accompanying drawings- Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the new basketemptying device, shown applied to a basket to be emptied;

Fig. 2 is a partial side elevation of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a top view of the emptier;

Figs. 4 and 5 are perspective views showing the manner of manipulating the device;

Fig. 6 is a front elevation of the basket-emptying device, showing its construction when made of wire netting; and

Fig. 7 is a front elevation of the basket-emptying device, showing its construction when made of sheet-metal.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 3, the new device, when applied to a basket B to be emptied, forms a funnel projecting from the top of the basket. The top or small end of the funnel is formed of a closed ring 6 of a diameter suitable to slide into a 5 bag of the proper size to receive the contents of the basket, and the bottom or large end consists of an open ring 1 having a handle 8 at each end. The rings 6 and l are preferably made of wire, the handles 8 in this case being in one piece with 10 the ring 1. The body of the funnel may be made of symmetrically spaced bent wires 9 connecting the rings 6 and l as shown, in Figs. 1 to 3 or may be formed of wire netting of suitable mesh, l 3, as shown in Fig. 6 or of sheet metal l4, as shown in Fig. 7 or other suitable material.

For greater durability, particularly in the case of wire netting, the body of the funnel may be strengthened by an additional supporting ring l5 intermediate between the end rings 6 and l as shown in Fig. 6. The closure of the upper ring 6 is preferably efiected by looping its ends in the form of a hinge ill to provide flexibility for manipulating the device.

The object of the openness of ring I is, first, to render the same expandible for the purpose of passing the emptying device over the top rim of the basket B, and then to render it compressible for the purpose of grippingly engaging the body of the basket and thus to form a means for lifting and tilting the same.

In order to conveniently manipulate the ring I in accordance with these purposes, the handles 8 are composed of substantially horizontal loops I I adapted to be gripped separately from above, as shown in Fig. 4, for expanding the ring, and of substantially vertical loops l2 adapted to be gripped together with one hand from below, as shown in Fig. 5, for tightening the ring upon the body of the basket and thus to form a handle for lifting the basket. By making the vertical loops l2 long enough to project below the center of gravity of the basket, the further advantage is attained that the basket may be automatically 45 tilted by lifting the same with one hand, thereby leaving the other hand free to manipulate the bag placed over the delivery end of the emptying device.

Having thus described our invention, we make 50 the following claims:

1. A portable basket-emptying device consisting of an expandible funnel-shaped holder adapted when passed with its large end, which is formed by an open wire ring provided with a downwardly 55 extending handle at each side of the opening, over the rim of a basket, to form a single handle grippingly engaging the body of the basket for the purpose of lifting and tilting the same with one hand, so that its contents may be emptied into a bag placed over the small end or the said holder and held thereon with the other hand.

2. A tunnel-shaped basket-emptying device, the large end 01 which is formed by an open ring with a handle at each end, the said handles, when in place on a basket, extending downwardly beyond the center of gravity of the basket, so that, by gripping them together with one hand, the basket can be lifted in a tilted position.

3. A tunnel-shaped basket-emptying device, the large lower end 01 the tunnel being formed by an open wire ring provided with a downwardly extending handle at each side 0! the opening, the small upper end of the tunnel being formed by a closed wire ring, and the body of the funnel being rormed by spaced wires connecting the two|end rings. i l i 4. A tunnel-shaped basket-emptying device, the large lower end of the funnel being formed by an open wire ring provided with a downwardly extending handle at each side of the opening, the small upper end of the tunnel being formed by a closed wire ring, and the body of the tunnel consisting of a longitudinally split wire net of suitable mesh fastened to the two end rings.

5. A tunnel-shaped basket-emptying device, the large lower end of the funnel being formed by an open wire ring provided with a downwardly extending handle at each side of the opening, the small upper end of the tunnel being formed by a closed wire ring, and the body of the tunnel consisting of an expandible sheet-material cone RAY H. STIILMAN. CARL E. ANDERSON.

' with overlapping joint. 

